American athlete Courtney Olsen targets another top three Comrades finish

Having enjoyed a memorable debut last year by finishing third in the women’s race, American athlete Courtney Olsen hopes to return to the podium at the Comrades Marathon next month, though she admits it is going to be a challenge as an amateur athlete.

While ultra-distance running is popular enough in South Africa that athletes can turn professional, it is considered a fringe sport in the United States, and Olsen has to juggle various responsibilities with her training.

Based in Bellingham (a city in Washington) 37-year-old Olsen has a full-time job in the banking industry. She also manages the Bellingham Distance Project, a competitive running team of post-collegiate athletes.

“At work I tend to find myself gravitating towards admin roles, so I kind of just go to whatever position will best support my running,” Olsen said this week.

“Running has never been something I could make a living off, so I’ve always worked full-time to make my running dreams possible.”

Impressive results

An ultra-distance specialist, Olsen has achieved some impressive results in recent years.

She was fourth at the 100km World Championships in 2023, and after finishing third at Comrades last year she went on to break the 50-mile (80.46km) world record, clocking 5:31:56 at a race in Illinois.

Despite this success, Olsen has struggled to find sponsors, though she has received backing this year from Durban-based Hollywood Athletics Club.

Having prepared for the race in a low-key environment, she said she was eager to return to South Africa to race in front of large crowds of enthusiastic supporters.

“Road ultras seem to be the lesser desired or supported events in the US, so it felt so powerful to race in South Africa last year because it felt like it was truly cared about,” she said.

Showing good form

In the build-up to her second attempt at Comrades, Olsen won the US 50km Championships last month, proving she was in good shape.

However, she was set to compete on the Comrades ‘down’ run course for the first time, and she acknowledged she was entering new territory.

She also had to contend with a strong field spearheaded by defending champion Gerda Steyn and South African 50km record holder Irvette van Zyl.

Steyn, the Comrades record holder, and Van Zyl, making her debut, will join Olsen as part of a powerful Hollywood Athletics Club team in the women’s race at the 90km contest in KwaZulu-Natal.

“I would love to be in the top three again, even though I know that will be very challenging,” Olsen said.

“Gerda is obviously extremely difficult to beat, but if I have the legs I would really love to try to see if I can interact with her on that course.”